If there was a contest for the most over-saturated genre, the first-person shooter would blow away all competition. With so many quality run-and-gun fests on the market, developers have to pull something special out of the hat if they want gamers to stand up and take notice…and with Killzone 2 Guerrilla Games has done just that.

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Prepare yourself for an audiovisual feast. Killzone 2 harnesses the power of the PlayStation 3 like few other titles, pushing the system’s hardware to its limit. From post-apocalyptic shantytowns to smoke-filled battlefields, futuristic warfare has never been so visceral.

The storyline picks up shortly after the events of the original Killzone, with humanity having warded off the invading Helghast forces. The Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) has ordered a counteroffensive, taking the war to the invaders’ home planet of Helghan.

The player takes control of Sergeant Tomas "Sev" Sevchenko, a hardboiled soldier and member of the ISA’s Special Forces Alpha Team, the squad charged with carrying out the planetary invasion. The ultimate goal is to capture the Helghast leader Scolar Visari (voiced by Brian Cox) and sabotage the enemy’s vaunted alien technology.

As you might have guessed, this game is unlikely to pick up any accolades in the storytelling department, but that was never its intention. Killzone 2's aim is to whisk you away to the frontline on a faraway planet, immersing you in intense futuristic warfare. This it accomplishes through a mix of stunning visuals and realistic combat, but there’s more on offer here than elaborate presentation.

Blasting anything that moves might work wonders in other first-person shooters, but strategy is the name of the game here. In order to survive longer than five minutes, the cover and flank mechanics must be use to full effect. Luckily, the environments are highly functional, providing you with plenty of shelter and vantage points. Holding the L2 button will lock you into the cover position, from which you can lean out and reel off a few rounds. The enemy A.I, however, is far from stupid. The Helghast will rarely rear their heads when bullets are flying back and forth, and use the environments to their advantage too. This requires you to think on your feet, with grenades usually a viable option to flush out foes. You’d better be discreet before pulling that pin, though, or else enemies will quickly dive for cover.

Friendly A.I is equally competent, with other members of the Alpha Team making themselves useful in tight spots. Co-operation with your computer-controlled buddies is essential. For instance, one of them will give you a leg-up to reach higher ground, expecting you to haul them up afterwards. The banter between squad members may be vulgar, but it does lighten the post-apocalyptic gloom that hangs over the game.

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Although Killzone 2 is visually groundbreaking, it is far from the genre-redefining title that Call Of Duty 4 or the Halo games were in their day. Whereas the game is everything a good first-person shooter should be, it doesn’t bring anything new to the mix and there's certainly some room for improvement

Variation would have gone a long way. Although putting a round into one of those Helghasts is exhilarating at first, the lack of enemy diversity makes it short lived. The same foes crop up throughout the game, with their only distinguishing features being meatier armour or different attack patterns. There are a couple of boss battles along the way to keep you on your toes, but none of these are particularly memorable.

This lack of variety extends to your arsenal, which consists of an array of rifles, automatics and the occasional rocket launcher. Given that this is a game about futuristic warfare, more imagination could have been applied to the weaponry. With the possible exception of the electric gun, there are few memorable firearms to lock and load here.

The game’s weapon handling may divide first-person shooter fanatics. Those who favour gameplay over realism will be disappointed, but those looking for an authentic combat experience will feel right at home on the battlefield. Aiming can be awkward and your gun difficult to steady, just like it would be if you were firing a real automatic. This does take away from the gameplay but heightens the authenticity of the experience, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

A strong online multiplayer mode is essential for any modern first-person shooter and Killzone 2 does not disappoint in this regard. Supporting up to 32 players, game modes include assassination, search and retrieve and capture and hold. All standard stuff so far but there are a few surprises in store. With 32 human-controlled players running around the detailed maps, some degree of slowdown might be expected, but Killzone 2 is remarkably free of this. Multiplayer mode also incorporates a class mechanic, allowing players to learn new abilities, such as a medic’s healing capability or a scout’s stealth. This adds an extra dimension and enough incentive for regular online forays.

Given that much of the gameplay in single player mode involves co-operation with computer-controlled squad members, a multiplayer co-op mode could have been included, but whether it would have significantly improved the game is debatable.

In summary, Killzone 2 does everything it says on the tin and looks good doing it. It is everything a first-person shooter should be and acts as an effective showcase for the PS3’s graphical prowess. While it’s no Halo beater, this frag fest could have been considered an early contender for game of the year if Guerrilla had applied more innovation, variety and originality.